Thursday, June 28, 2001

The United Nations General Assembly ended its historic three-day special session on AIDS yesterday with promises tostart speaking plainly about the disease, to reduce infection rates and treat the afflicted, and to provide the moneyto implement those goals. In a 16-page declaration, approved by consensus and enthusiastic applause despite what U.N.Secretary General Kofi Annan had called "painful differences" among nations, the 189-member body acknowledged thatdiscrimination against those with AIDS and those whose behavior makes them particularly vulnerable to the disease,lack of women’s rights and failure to provide adequate sex education for the young contribute to its spread.The meeting was scheduled six months ago as nations realized that AIDS threatened to eliminate an entire generationin some countries, particularly African nations, and to devastate developing economies around the globe. The firstU.N. special session devoted exclusively to a health issue put the world’s governments on record with pledges to dealwith the pandemic. The declaration requires member states to report their progress on specific targets and methodsfor reducing the spread of HIV.

The Senate yesterday announced that it had reached a bipartisan agreement resolving one of the thorniest issuessurrounding debate over the patients’ bill of rights currently before Congress. The agreement would limit theability of patients to sue their employers when HMO’s deny care. Doctors have long charged that HMO’s used"arbitrary definitions of medical necessity" to deny necessary medical procedures.

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In a Democracy Now! special, we look at the acclaimed Broadway musical "Fun Home," which swept the Tony Awards last month. Composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist Lisa Kron made history as the first female duo to win a Tony Award for Best Original Score. "Fun Home" is also the first-ever Broadway musical to feature a lesbian protagonist. The musical is based on the 2006 best-selling graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel, "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic." The memoir is a poignant exploration of family, memory, first love,...

A stunning indictment has been handed down in Cincinnati, focusing attention again on police killings of people of color. This is a start for accountability and justice. Cleveland should pay attention. As the thousand people gathered there last weekend said clearly, “Black Lives Matter.”

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